Guardia Civil seizes over 50 kilos of fish from suspected poachers in Fuerteventura
Three people were intercepted on Fuerteventura’s west coast with a catch allegedly destined for a hospitality business in Morro Jable.
The Guardia Civil seized more than 50 kilograms of fish from three suspected poachers on Fuerteventura’s west coast on 8 October, preventing the catch from being sold, the force has said.
Officers from the Guardia Civil’s nature protection service identified the three at dusk as they came ashore in a Zodiac-type boat. An inspection found a cooler full of fish and an illegal catch in the bottom of the boat, according to the force.
The Guardia Civil said surveillance had uncovered indications that a group travelling from Lanzarote and La Gomera had repeatedly fished illegally off Fuerteventura. Officers worked with staff responsible for monitoring the Canary Islands’ marine Special Areas of Conservation, who come under the regional ecological transition department, to locate the group.
The force said officers followed the three and established that they intended to deliver the fish to a hospitality business in Morro Jable. The catch had not undergone the mandatory preventive health checks required for sale, it added.
The three face potential penalties ranging from €60 to €300,000.